


Show Me Off

by SykoShadowRose



Series: Iron Dragon's Charms 2020 [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Fluff, Iron Dragon's Charms Week 2020 (RWBY), M/M, Qrow Being Dressed Up Against His Will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28025967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SykoShadowRose/pseuds/SykoShadowRose
Summary: James approves a request for a festival and learns what counts as festival wear in Mistral.
Relationships: Clover Ebi/James Ironwood, Clover Ebi/Taiyang Xiao Long, James Ironwood/Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi/James Ironwood/Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Series: Iron Dragon's Charms 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045344
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Show Me Off

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6: **Festivals** /Galas
> 
> I'm... not actually happy with this one for some reason...

James looked over the papers one last time before signing off on them. The idea of a multi-cultural festival was a great idea in theory for bringing the people together but he prayed it worked out as well in reality. The celebration of Salem’s defeat, however temporary it might be, should be shared by all, but he wasn’t so out of touch that he wasn’t aware how there were still those out there that still looked down on others, particularly the faunus and tribes from outside the kingdoms. And the tension between the Atlesians and the Vacuians that had come to their aid was palpable. At least things were fairly good with the ones from Vale and Mistral...

~*~

Pale red eyes narrowed as he cautiously backed up, the small horde of grinning females stalking after him. Qrow knew his own girls, knew they were up to something by the way they were smiling. He recognized it from traveling across a continent with them. The other girls, he assumed friends they’d made back at Beacon and here at Atlas, he was only guessing that he shouldn’t trust them. He’d always had pretty good instincts when it came to women and he doubted they would fail him now. So since they were screaming at him to _get away_ Qrow was certainly looking for a way out. Now if he could just escape...

~*~

Qrow sulked as he looked himself over in the full length mirror, glaring at the make-up they’d put on him. It wasn’t a lot but he still critically eyed the faint shine on his lips and the way the black liner they’d applied enhanced the angle of his eyes, the small amount of red eye shadow just a shade off from the color of his eyes. He briefly considered washing it off, deciding against it only because they’d just pin him down and put it back on, before turning to the clothes he’d been handed. He wondered how the girls had even known about the “traditional” outfit for someone like him, let alone how they’d gotten a hold of one. Weiss had probably had it made for all he knew but that didn’t explain how they’d known about the formal tribal wear for such festivals to begin with. 

Hell, he’d barely known about it and he’d actually grown up in a tribe. One of the ones that didn’t participate in the festivals but still a tribe. (Being a bunch of murderers and thieves tended to make them unwelcome at the festival gatherings where all the tribes came together for trading resources and alliances.) At least they’d kept the right colors for him. He didn’t know if they’d done it because they were his colors or if they knew the colors held significance to their family but he was grateful for it. And they had thankfully left him to get dressed on his own instead of trying to dress him themselves. There were some things in this world he just couldn’t deal with. 

His nieces trying to strip him naked was close to the top of that list.

What he hated, as he picked up the small black shorts, was that they’d chosen to give him the outfit that would have advertised him as being… _submissive_ to other males if he’d worn it at one of the tribal gatherings. It was the right one for him unfortunately, merely because he would have been used as trading fodder for an alliance if his tribe had been part of the gatherings because of his bisexuality. He was sure that putting him in this specific outfit was on purpose. There was no way they would have learned about the tribal outfits and not known the meaning behind the different styles and designs. He slid the cloth on, clenching his teeth at just _how short_ they were. The material didn’t even come to mid thigh but they were within the boundaries of tradition so he couldn’t argue much about it. Not effectively anyways. He was pretty sure Yang was the one behind this bit. He remembered her combat gear back when she’d first wanted to go to Beacon.

Resisting the urge to rub his hands over his face (and thereby smearing his make-up, he never wanted to go through that again if he could avoid it, if he was going to wear make-up it was going to be because he put it on himself), Qrow lifted the first layer of his top. The white top looped around his neck and lower back with the first tie in front being about midway down his sternum. The point of leaving his shoulder blades bare was to be representative of trust, which was why he’d always worn a cape. He just didn’t trust people with his back, came from being part of his tribe. But the kids weren’t really giving him much of a choice here and honestly… it was probably fair that he finally allowed at least Tai and the kids the privilege at the least. James had earned it too really and his tin soldiers were doing a damned good job of getting there. Qrow tied the bottom of the shirt just above his hips with less force than he might have otherwise as he thought about the actual meaning behind the outfit. 

Besides him being available for marriage to other men anyways. That part could be ignored.

The next level, red this time, was much the same as the white one but instead of ending at his waist it split into four strips that went down to his ankles, two of them with silver feathers decorating them and two of them plain. The black level over that was designed with the opposite panels feathered. Over that went a sash from his right shoulder to his left hip, black because he was male but with silver birds embroidered at the shoulder and feathers at the bottom. He sighed as he picked up the white waist cincher with his black emblem embroidered on the right side, not liking this part but putting it on because half it’s job was to hold all the fabric in place. On his left hip, he fit the elaborately designed silver metal plate that fit around his hip, decorated with the red and black jewels embedded in it, white feathers hanging from the bottom of it and three short strips of fabric white fabric with silver feathers trailing them. He turned, twisted, making sure everything fit properly without hampering his movements before he sat down to pull on the last of the clothing. Skin tight black tights went up to his mid thigh, leaving a strip of his skin showing between the deep red band at the top and the bottom of his little black shorts, visible through the layers of his top. 

The boots gave him pause. 

They were metal, or were covered with metal anyways. Silver feathers with black lace and leather underneath. The heel on them was… not what he was expecting. It wasn’t that he hadn’t ever worn heels before, but he didn’t like to advertise the fact that he _could_ wear them easily, small ones at least. He wasn’t even sure how the kids had known he’d be able to handle the three inch heels for the night considering he was pretty sure he’d never even mentioned wearing them around any of them. He considered chucking them in the trash but knew it would be more of a fight than it was worth, especially considering he was already wearing almost all of the rest of it. So he rolled his eyes and tugged them on, lacing them tight. 

The final official part of the outfit was slipped over his left forearm, middle finger through the loop at the end and the top of it lacing around his bicep. The right hand had just a small fingerless glove to cover it and then he turned to his jewelry. Qrow had been allowed to choose his own accessories for this part and he pulled on several of his favorite rings and a few bangles. He threaded a feather earring into one ear and slipped a cuff on the other one, slicking his hair back after he was done. 

Standing back to look at the whole image now that he was done, Qrow could admit that he looked… _pretty_. 

He’d put on some healthy weight since their arrival in Atlas, so he no longer looked quite so bony and he could still recognize himself in the mirror. Were it not for the length of the strips and the fact that the tights and shorts didn’t meet, he’d even consider the outfit to be something he may wear to more parties. But that wasn’t the right style for him all things considered. Still, objectively speaking, he supposed he looked good. Hopefully he wasn’t the only one that thought so tonight…

~*~

James sighed, looking around at all the bits and pieces that had been pulled together from different places across Remnant to make the gathering what it was. There were some truly impressive sights among the gathering. Those organizing it had done a commendable job in his opinion.Sadly, Atlas didn’t truly have much for an “official” festival attire, besides whatever your best finery was, so he had (along with most of the military personnel) chosen to wear his dress uniform. Looking at all the different styles and outfits from the other kingdoms, he couldn’t help feeling that his kingdom was missing out, just a bit. The sight of Taiyang walking with Clover only reinforced that opinion.

Tai’s attire was in his colors, yellow and orange over tan pants, but the top was a bit closer in design to what Lie Ren had worn back at Beacon. Not the same, but certainly from Mistral. James was quite sure that there was supposed to be a shirt of some kind under the top that was on him but he wasn’t actually surprised to see him without one, his chest fully exposed and drawing the eyes. The orange fabric was fastened closed on his right side, the yellow dragons and suns embroidered on it shimmering slightly more than the fabric itself. There was a front and a back drape and he had no sleeves, which was probably what caught Clover’s attention. There was a gold sash tied around his waist and black slip on shoes on his feet. James was interested to see tan fingerless gloves that matched his pants on his hands. 

The sharp cut of Clover’s dress uniform gleamed brightly next to the warm colors of the blond as they approached and James wondered how his Captain had gotten away with going sleeveless. He was pretty sure the proper design for his rank included them…

“Hey, James. You thinking of dancing tonight?” Tai’s question pulled him back from his ponderings of Clover’s arms, though it really did more to transfer his attention to _Tai’s_ arms rather than stop him completely.

“I… had considered it. If I found the right person to ask.” James offered a small smile with his admission.

“Yea. What about if someone asked you?” 

“It would depend on who was asking, I suppose.” Deep blue watched the smile grow wider, amusement on Clover’s face while he watched the exchange before all three laughed. “Yes, Tai. I will dance with you.”

“Good. Thought I was gonna have to get on my knees and beg for a second there.” The line was accompanied with an incredibly suggestive look that made James nearly choke on his punch, a faint flush coloring his cheekbones. Clover tried to cover his laugh with a cough, giving up at the playful glare James shot at him. 

“Here. I’ll hold that for you. I’ve got him after you’re done.” James passed the drink over to the smirking Clover, allowing the blond to pull him into the space that was set aside for dancing for the Valiens. It was the one type of dancing all of them knew, so it was the best place for them to go after all.

~*~

Tai watched Clover drag James behind him after their dance, the tallest man acting like he was being put upon by all the dancing the two of them were taking turns pulling him into. They all knew that if James didn’t actually want to dance, they couldn’t (and wouldn’t) make him. But it was just part of their game for the night. A bit of harmless fun for flirting and teasing. He was wondering who was going to go next when a familiar voice came from behind him. 

“You guys got the tin man to _dance_?”

“He’s not that bad and you know it.” Tai turned to his friend when he felt the other come up beside him, eyes going wide when he saw what Qrow was wearing. He knew the significance of that outfit and it made him wonder what had compelled Qrow to wear it at the festival. If he meant it the way it was intended to be worn.

“Yea, yea. Doesn’t mean I can’t still give him shit about it.” Qrow smirked at him, eyes dancing. “I have a rep to uphold after all. Can’t get too cozy with the snobs.”

Tai cleared his throat (and his thoughts), turning back to see James spin Clover. “What took you so long to find us anyways?

“Dodging grabby hands.” The lithe man huffed, looking more than a bit annoyed. He ran his hand through his hair, glancing around like he expected someone to pop up out of nowhere to irritate him even more. Red eyes locked on Tai and trailed over him, an appreciative hum coming from the pale throat. “Nice threads.”

“Thank you. Weiss helped me find someone to make them for me.” Tai adjusted the front of his top a bit self-consciously. “Speaking of clothes… You might have an easier time dodging if you weren’t advertising…”

Those alabaster cheeks turned pink, a sullen pout forming on the other’s lips. “Your daughters. Not me.”

“Ah.” That made a bit more sense. He’d have to speak to Ruby, and especially Yang, about this later. In the meantime… “Were they wrong?”

Qrow ducked his head, bottom lip disappearing as he sucked it in to chew on. “...no.”

Tai turned when James and Clover came back over, both of them staring at Qrow with wide eyes, though they were trying (and failing) not to be obvious about it. He grinned. “Look! We have an even number now! So, each of us gets a dance with Qrow and then we can take turns sharing partners instead of one being left on the sidelines!”

Clover smiled back, looking like he was just holding back from bouncing on his feet. “That sounds like an awesome idea to me!”

Qrow’s eyes flicked to James, expecting him to be the reasonable one of the group and point out all the reasons why him being on the dancefloor was a _bad idea_ but James just smiled softly, tipping his head in agreement. “I believe it would be the most fair plan.”

“Great! James can go first.” Tai nudged Qrow’s back, catching the smaller man off guard and making him stumble a step.

Qrow looked between the three men, hesitant but not rejecting them. “You’re absolutely sure you wanna dance with me?” There was uncertainty lacing his voice, wonder hiding underneath. They knew what could go wrong and they were still asking.

“I am.” James held out his hand, hopeful blue eyes silently pleading with him. There was no doubt, no hesitation, nothing but complete certainty that this was what he wanted in his eyes.

Qrow sighed, unable to deny the heartfelt request but he couldn’t hold back a final quip as he took the offered hand. “If your gears lock up, I’m tipping you over and walking away.” 

~*~

Qrow lost track of how many times he’d danced with each man, how many times they switched and danced with each other. All he knew was that by the end of it the four of them were somehow weaving the dance to include all of them. The four twirling and spinning as one unit. 

And when the festivities were called to an end and it was time to retire. He knew that all of them went together to one bed instead of parting ways to find their own. Drifting off while sprawled over James, Tai pressed tight to his back by Clover, he knew that whatever was happening between them was going to need talking about, but that could wait. For now, they were just going to sleep in peace.


End file.
